Madison Herring went 2-for-3 and had a bases-clearing triple to help South Lenoir to a 4-2 win over Richlands on Thursday and clinch second place in the East Central 2A Conference.

Hanna Meready and Madison Beyer had a hit each for the Blue Devils (xxx), who will host a first round playoff game next Friday.

Topsail has already clinched the regular season championship.

South Lenoir will host East Duplin in its regular season finale on Tuesday.

BASEBALL

GREENE CENTRAL EARNS SHARE OF EP2A TITLE: Thanks to Wilson Beddingfield’s win over North Pitt on Thursday the Rams will share the regular season championship with the Panthers.

The co-champions will play a one-game playoff to determine which team gets the league’s top playoff seed sometime next week.

Greene Central, which travels to North Lenoir for a non-conference game today, last played in a one-game playoff in 2010 against Kinston.

BETHEL CHRISTIAN TO HOST OPENING ROUND STATE PLAYOFF GAME: The Trojans will host Raleigh Friendship Christian at 4 p.m. today to open the N.C. Christian Schools Association state playoffs.

Top-seeded Bethel (10-7) will host this year’s state championship tournaments in baseball, softball and girls soccer May 10-11.

GIRLS SOCCER

PARROTT ACADEMY 2, ROCKY MOUNT FAITH CHRISTIAN 0: At Parrott, the Patriots won their final regular season match.

Seniors Brooke Tyndall and Langley Mills scored a goal each while Sallie Sylvester and Charlotte Snead recorded the assists.

By virtue of Cary Christian’s win over Kerr-Vance Academy the Patriots (12-4-2, 11-2-1 Eastern Plains Independent Conference) finished second in the league behind the Knights (12-2-0 EPIC). They now await next week’s seeding for the state 3A playoffs.